Locavore news by Elbert van Donkersgoed
Posted: January 15, 2010
Categories: Food in the News / News from Sustain Ontario
Perspectives on good food and farming
Januarys 13, 2010
Not all local food is worthy of praise
The local food movement has become a huge business in Canada, with sales of over $1 billion at farmers’ markets alone. Still, the movement is not without flaws, and those who put profits ahead of customer satisfaction are giving local a bad name. This past summer, my wife and I had a series of bad experiences when buying local. But the take-home message is that buy local campaigns will fail, and even backfire, if farmers fail to provide customer-satisfying quality and value. CBCcommentary by Jim Romahn on the Canadian Farm Business Management website.
Where homes don’t grow
Outspoken Oakville councillor Allan Elgar has a name for the practice of building a sprawling subdivision on prime farmland: He calls it “the final crop.” That’s why the farmboy-turned-environmentalist is backing Halton Region’s groundbreaking proposal to set its own protections on an extensive natural heritage system. The plan would preserve a whopping 36 per cent of the region’s developable land, set up an integrated network of preserved areas, and drastically curtail where houses can be planted some day. Toronto Star story.
A shorter trip from field to fork
When a trend moves from the small, passionate originators to the masses, usually the hipsters move on. But that’s not the case when food is involved. Ken and Martha Laing of Orchard Hill Farm, began their CSA operation in 1997 with between 25 and 30 shares as a way to put their daughter through university. “It was so successful, it became a major part of the farm,” said Ken. Word spread and now about 160 members share in the produce. Ken said that is a good number for their infrastructure — any more and they’d need a greenhouse. “It’s a good size and profitable. Sun Media story in the London Free Press.
Sudbury torchbearer greens and feeds community
The sulphur-scarred landscape of Sudbury has never been famous for its gardens. For years, as mining operations dug nickel and other metals from the ground, smelters belched acidic chemicals into the air that burned a hole in the local environment. Much to the residents’ chagrin, the Northern Ontario city has been painted as a wasteland, a moonscape. But as the torch relay came through the gently rolling streets of Sudbury on Saturday, it made its progress through a city in recovery. One torchbearer represented a small part of those efforts – working a half-acre plot of land, and turning it into a vegetable garden.Globe and Mail story
Consumers have the power to save local agriculture
“Do we really matter? That’s the question a lot of us are asking. Are we important?”
That question was raised last week by Brenda Lammens, whose terms as chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association ends today, during an editorial board meeting with The Standard. It’s a troubling question to ponder, but even more troubling is the answer that query may receive. As Lammens pointed out, if fruit and vegetable agriculture in Ontario collapsed, the amount of food we import ensures the shelves at grocery stores would remain full. Facing that reality, it’s easy to excuse farmers for a bout with self-doubt. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Consumers have the power to tell farmers that yes, they do matter and yes, they are important. They can demand local produce; but they also have to be willing to pay for it. St. Catharines Standard story.
Fenwick man proposes Grape and Wine Learning Network
During his 30 years in the grape-growing consulting business, Kevin Ker has heard the same questions again and again. Most grape growers, winemakers and wine retail store staff don’t want to spend the time taking a lengthy course at a university or college or troll the Internet for hours to find the answers, Ker said. Many don’t have the money to spend on extensive training, either. So Ker has come up with an alternative he’s dubbed the Grape and Wine Learning Network — the subject of his PhD dissertation in educational studies at Brock University. The network would be a place for peers in the wine industry to learn from each other. Welland Tribune story.
Green Toronto Awards — Local Food
We are excited to introduce a new award category this year – Local Food. Food is a commodity that’s vitally important to everyone, so it’s no surprise that the local food movement in Toronto is growing rapidly. Growing and eating local food brings many social, environmental, health and economic benefits. It reduces the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transporting, processing and packaging food, and it’s healthier. The Local Food Award recognizes leadership in increasing food security by creating, administering and promoting programs that increase the availability of affordable food for neighbourhoods, communities and residents. Examples of projects eligible for this award include community gardens, education campaigns, food distribution programs and other initiatives that contribute to the local food movement. Local visionaries in the field may also be nominated. Information about all the award categories on website.
Schreiner takes helm of Green Party of Ontario
Mike Schreiner has been elected leader of the Green Party of Ontario (GPO). Schreiner is an entrepreneur and community advocate who ran for the MPP seat in Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock earlier this year. For the first time in GPO history, Schreiner will be a full-time party leader. He will focus on building the party by establishing a professional party organization and setting ambitious fundraising and membership targets. He has been involved with the GPO for six years. A few years ago, Schreiner established Local Food Plus, which brings farmers and consumers together to promote financially, socially and environmentally sustainable local food systems. Lindsay Post story.
Savour Ontario
Kawartha Honey is buzzing, with nine producers of liquid gold in this county alone. Tracy Winkworth of The Belworth House in Waterford talks about how she has been serving local food since she opened her restaurant in 2000. Stephen Treadwell is a local food pioneer who began pushing for local procurement nearly 20 years ago. The Accidental Farmer is Lino Micheli of Prince Edward County, who also represents his agricultural peers as a distributor. Michael Potters and Karin Desveaux-Potters of Harvest Restaurants and Pinch Gourmet explain why local is good for business. Savour Ontario’s Newsletter(PDF).
Our top 10 recipes of 2009
Every year is filled with tasty memories here in the Toronto Star’s test kitchen and we serve up second helpings with our annual Golden Whisk Awards. Choosing the best of the best recipes is not easy. Invariably many fabulous recipes we tested and published are left by the wayside as we winnow through the candidates. The Golden Whisk Awards – launched in 2005 – are a full meal deal with starters, mains and desserts. They’ll take you on a culinary journey through 2009 with stops at some of the year’s hottest cuisines, cafés and cookbooks. Toronto Star story.